Effective government institutions that represent the interests of all citizens are essential for peace and prosperity. Over the past decade, evidence of public-sector corruption in Peru has increased dramatically. This has eroded citizens’ confidence in democracy, and affected the country’s political stability. Peru’s National Comptroller General reports that corruption generated a loss of more than $6 billion dollars in 2022, which threatens Peru’s socioeconomic gains and the stability of the region.

Responding to increasing citizen discontent and interest from the Government of Peru (GOP) to strengthen its institutions, USAID works with civil society organizations, public-sector institutions, and private-sector partners to strengthen the responsiveness, transparency, and accountability of national and subnational governments. This work increases public integrity, reduces corruption, and supports human rights.

GOALS

USAID supports the GOP to strengthen its anti-corruption systems to prevent and mitigate corruption. This assistance advances strategic elements of Peru’s National Integrity and Anti-Corruption Plan by improving public spending processes, strengthening internal fiscal control mechanisms, and establishing more competitive and transparent public procurement systems. Aligned with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) framework for public integrity and the GOP National Policy for Integrity and Anti-Corruption, USAID supports Peru's fight against pervasive and persistent corruption.

Non-governmental actors play a fundamental role in promoting democracy by advocating  for stronger accountability and inclusivity in public policy decision making. By engaging business and private citizens in the fight against corruption, USAID fosters an emerging whole-of-society culture of integrity and accountability. These efforts strengthen transparency and self-regulation mechanisms within the private sector and facilitate civil society oversight of public investment. 

USAID supports the protection of human rights by building the capacity of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Peruvians, the LGBTQI+ community, and other vulnerable or marginalized groups to advocate for their concerns and access justice services. USAID supports the GOP to strengthen the prevention, protection, and prosecution mechanisms that serve survivors of gender based violence (GBV) and human trafficking. USAID also protects civic space and freedom of speech by supporting the crucial work of independent and investigative journalists who risk their lives to expose corruption and human rights abuses.